Beer tap



y 7, 1953 J. H. BROWN 2,644,619

BEER TAP Filed June 17, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

1.75/21: J1. .Bnxwz Patented July 7, 1953 UNITED STAT-S PATENT OFFICE John H. Brown, Springfield, Mass. Application June 17, 1947, Serial No; 755,190

Thisinvention. relates to new and improved beer taps and to systems for cleaning the cooling pipes in installations for dispensing beer.

The principal object of the invention resides in' the provision of a new and improved beer tap which constitutes a self-contained unit adapted to. be connected with a pipe running'to the beer cooler and having a detachable connection with an air hose or other source of air pressure for the purpose of cleaning out the beerpipes as often as desired or necessary without losing any of the beer, the cleaning out of the pipes being done by assistance of -the present beer tap in a very simple'manner.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a beer tap comprising an air chamber surrounding the beer rod, said air chamber being connected to a source of air and to a vent which is manually operated to release the air pressure in the'barrel, in combination with two compression nuts for rendering the beer tap air-tight, one of said nuts being applied to the compression chamber housing and the other being applied to the outside casing of the tap which is adapted to be secured to the bushing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the new beer tap; and

Fig. 2 illustrates the system using the new beer tap for cleaning out the beer pipes.

As shown in Fig. 1, the new tap comprising a bushing 16 is adapted to be secured directly into the barrel, it being understood that this bushing may be externally screw threaded as is conventional for application to wooden barrels or it may be made as shown for application to metal barrels. To the bushing there is screw threaded the outside casing l2 of the tap and at the upper end of easing [2 there is secured a compression nut [4 held in place by a circular.

brass shoulder l6, this nut clearly closing the casing [2 at its upper end. At its lower end of course, outer casing I2 is secured to the bushing It] as at [8.

Inside the casing [2 there is a compression tube 20 in which is received the beer rod 22, this beer rod, of course, being slid down through the barrel nearly to the bottom so that the intake 24 of the beer rod is located at the bottom of the barrel. The shoulder i6 may be integral with the compression tube 20 and at its lower end the compression tube is provided with a 1 Claim. (01. 222-497) washer or the like 26 integral therewith to seat on an annular open seat 28 which is attached to the interior wall of bushing 10. When completely assembled the compression tube 20'wi1l closely seat washer 26 on the seat 28, which is removable as shown.

By the above described means, the member 20 is held securely to the bushing l0 and the barrel-as 'well and at the same time the tube Zn and other members associated therewithand about to be described are held in connected engagement with the bushing ID and the barrel whereby arr-integral operating mechanism isattained.

At its upper end the compression tube 20 extends through the compression; nut 14' and is secured to an enclosed air chamber 30 as, for instance, by screw threads 32. This'air chamber is provided with an interior shoulder 34 forming a seat for a compression, brass or other metal washer'36. Another washer-38 ishelddown by a' brass-ring en-by a compression nut 42 so as to completely hermetically seal the air chamber around thejbeer rod by means of a compression rubber or -'rubbers- 43.

The air chamber 36 is provided with a removable hose connection 44 which is adapted to be connected to a source of air under pressure as represented by the tank 46 in Fig. 2. The air chamber is also connected with a valve operated vent 48 so that the air pressure in th barrel may be relieved when desired.

The tap is shown in operation and as applied to a barrel 56 in Fig. 2. The beer,, of course, proceeds through a pipe 52 from the beer rod through a beer cock 54 to a cooler 56 from where it is dispensed as by means of the taps 58. Pipes 60 represent beer pipes which areto be connected to further barrels not illustrated.

The air connection 44 is connected by a hose 60 to a valve 62, valves 64 representing the valves for other barrels. all of these. valves being connected through a pipe 66 to the tank of compressed air at 46. The latter is provided with" another pipe 68 leading up to the bar andbeing capable of providing a supply of compressed air to a flexible hose 16 through a valve H at the bar. Pipes 66 and 68 may be closed by valves 12. 1

For the purpose ofillustrating this invention, the bar 'Mhas been shown as being equipped with eight beer taps 58, the air hose l0, and two water taps 16, as well as the usual sinks and beer coolers. Pipes 18 like pipes 60 represent separate pipes for further barrels but are shown as being connected by unions in order to further explain the present invention, it being unof air pressure-comprising in combination,- a

derstood that all of the'pipes 60 and 18 lead I from separate beer taps and barrels but are so:

constructed so as to be able to be interconnected together as shown at 18 and 80.

In the operation of the device, it is first necessary to close the air cook 62, which is used for supplying the compressed air from the tank 46,v

this being closed off, the relief valve 48 is opened slightly but enough so that the escaping air can be heard, thus reducing the pressure in the barrel. When the air is no longer heard to be escaping, the operator can shut off this relief valve or leave it open. Then the rubber air tube; 70 is connected to a beer faucet 58 and the valve H is opened thus forcing beer through the beer pipes, the cooling coils and back into the barrel and this can be done as to all four beer faucets at either side. When all of the beer coils have been blown out, then the relief valves 48 are closed so that the beer cannot possibly get out of the barrel or air get into the barrel, whereupon the faucets are connected behind the bar by hose 7 connections such as shown at 84 and the pipes 60 and 78 are connected by the unions 80 and then all of the beer pipes can be flushed out with water which emerges at tap 83. The water can remain in the beer pipes all night and in the morning the water may be blown out with air the same as the beer was previously blown so that the cooling coils are clean and all the beer which was in the coils has been saved.

Under present conditions prior to this invention, all the beer in the coils was lost. After the bushing for securement to the barrel having an annular outer wall and an annular inner wall spaced inwardly thereof below the upper plane of the outer wall, an annular open seat secured to the inner wall of said bushing, a hollow compression tube having a lower end portion seatable upon said seat and an open upper end portion upwardly thereof, a casing disposed around said tube and having a lower'end threadedly engageable with said bushing, means for adjusting said tube relative to said casing and bushing, a beer rod being disposed in spaced relation within said compression tube and being slidable relative thereto into and out of the barrel, an enclosed air chamber threadedly engageable with the upper end of said tube and having a central opening into the lower wall thereof affording communication with said tube and having a central opening in the upper wall thereof for reception of said beer rod extendable therethrough, adjustable sealing means within said air chamber and around said beer rod for retaining said rod References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 711,162 Holbach "2 Oct. 14, 1902 900,076 Asbell Oct. 6, 1908 1,963,784 Freund June 19, 1,934

2,016,926 Josepowitz Oct. 8, 1935 2,018,543 Buirk Oct. 22, 1935 Cohen Dec. 3, 1935 

